The Toronto Maple Leafs made a whole lot of additions in free agency and one of them is looking forward to getting started in the Centre of the Hockey Universe.
Teddy Blueger signed a two-year, $5-million contract with the Maple Leafs and while a whole lot has been made this summer about the so-called pressure to play in this city and in front of these fans, the Latvian forward is ready to embrace everything that comes with wearing the Blue and White. He recently spoke with NHL.com while skating in Minnesota before training camp gets going next month, to really express his excitement.
"Just because you really feel it in the culture, and the people are really passionate about hockey,” Blueger said of Canada on Wednesday. “I feel like Toronto’s the center of that because obviously it’s an Original Six team."
Blueger most recently finished a three-year stint with the Vancouver Canucks, where he finished last season with nine goals and 17 points in 35 games for the worst team in the entire NHL. Before that, he played parts of five seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins and a tiny sliver of time with the Vegas Golden Knights as a rental for the 2023 playoffs.
He hasn't been able to put on the sweater of an Original Six team until now, and he clearly appreciates it and he should be a very solid addition to this Leafs roster.
Teddy Blueger will bring a valued role to the Maple Leafs
The 31-year-old is simply someone who will soak up every single defensive responsibility possible for whatever team he is on. In every single season of his NHL career except his first year, Blueger has started less than 30 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone -- it's just battle after battle to then get the other team to not score, and then his team can bring on the skilled guys. That's someone who the Leafs have been missing, and now his presence will free up the likes of Auston Matthews to really put up some production.
As Blueger himself puts it, he knows what a good team looks like and is excited to get one going in Toronto.
“As the team dynamics naturally take shape, everyone fills their roles,” Blueger said. “If guys are able to gel well together, that usually leads to a successful team. I think it’s just like any workplace. It takes time to gel and get to know each other and build that chemistry and camaraderie.
“Having a clean slate is also exciting because you do have a lot of really good players and an opportunity to hopefully do something.”
This season is sort of a clean slate for Toronto. With a new general manager and a new coach, impressions will be made in the first month or so and we will have our opinions, but right now, anything seems possible.
It's always nice to have guys around who truly care about playing for the team, and Blueger seems like exactly that.
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